The M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle was based on an M60A1 Patton MBT (Main Battle Tank) chassis with a hydraulically operated dozer blade mounted on the front, an A-frame crane hinged on each side of the turret and a winch. The vehicle can also be equipped with a mine clearing rake. The armament was changed from using the 105 mm M68 rifled tank gun used on the standard M60/A1/A3, to use an M135 165 mm short-barrelled demolition gun with 30 rounds of HEP (High Explosive, Plastic) ammunition, it is a license built copy of the 165 mm L9A1 gun that was used on the British Army's FV4003 Centurion Mk.5 AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers) tank. It is also armed with a coaxial 7.62 × 51 mm NATO M73 machine gun, with 2,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, as well as a .50 cal M85 machine gun mounted on the commander's cupola, with 600 rounds of ammunition. 291 units were produced, the M728 was first deployed in 1965 during the Vietnam War. It was also used in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in (1990-1991). The vehicle was found to be too slow to keep pace with newer armored vehicles such as the M1 Abrams tank

Author: jaglavaksoldier
Keywords: M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle M60 MBT mine CEV rake US Army countermeasures Patton
Added: November 8, 2008

The M132 was a United States built flamethrower armed variant of the M113 and M113A1 armoured personnel carriers developed in the early 1960s. Approximately 350 were accepted into service. The first prototype of the vehicle was produced in August 1962 when a flamethrower was mounted on a M113. This prototype was only used in combat situations four times that year. In December 1964, the first armored Cavalry was sent two M132 flamethrower armored vehicles. The vehicle was based on an M113. The driver sits in the front left of the hull. A small cupola in the center of the hull mounts an M10-8 flame gun with a coaxial 7.62 mm calibre M73 machine gun. The weapons could be traversed though 360 degrees and elevated to +55 degrees and depressed to -15 degree. The passenger compartment was removed, and replaced with an M10 fuel and pressure unit and four spherical 50 gallon fuel tanks. The 200 gallon fuel capacity enabled it to fire for 32 seconds, and the pressure unit enabled it to reach targets at a range of 200 meters.

Author: jaglavaksoldier
Keywords: M132 Armored Flamethrower M113 FMC Corporation flame weapons incendiary fire
Added: August 29, 2008